Week 5

Response to critics and supporters of 21st Century Skills...

I believe it is very important for children to know how to work collaboratively with their peers, think critically, and think creatively. At the same time I want my students to have a complete understanding of the art making process and an art history background to carry with them through life. I feel art lends itself to creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Autonomy and independence are other qualities I would like to foster in my students. When they need help I want them to try to figure out a solution on their own or with the help of their classmates. It may sound silly but in my preschool classroom I have my students eat their lunch on their own. If someone needs help removing a lid, opening a bag or putting the straw in a Capri Sun they have to ask each other for help or get a scissor. They need to learn that they cannot rely on grown ups for everything. I praise them for getting their coats on by themselves and I show off their work when they think outside the box. This may be a silly example but I would like my art students to be able to think this way at their own level. I want to encourage group brainstorming, collaborative art projects, and assignments that allow students to think outside the box. For example, having my students redesign something we use every day, like a shoe. They need to use to think critically and creatively to come up with a design. Perhaps their needs to be a balance. Maybe we can combine 21st Century Skills with traditional teaching practices. All that matters is the method that keeps students engaged and performing to the best of their ability.

Week 4

This week we are looking at the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards for technology and 21st century skills. I will outline a learning experience that uses technology in the art classroom. 

Strand: Creativity and Innovation

Grade Level: 8th grade

Content Statement: The use of digital tools and media-rich resources enhances creativity and the construction of knowledge.

CPI: Produce a media-rich digital story about a significant local event or issue based on first person interviews.

Technology Integration: Students will be creating their own blog, posting weekly entries, and commenting on their classmates posts.

Art: Every week students will research an artist of their choosing. They will post 3 pictures of the artists work and 3 facts they learned about the artist. The students will also write in their blog if they liked or disliked the artist's work and why. Everyone in class will look at each others blog posts and make comments on 3 classmates blogs that sparked their interest. 

For a final project the students will create a fake facebook account for their favorite artist including information about the artist, profile picture, and pictures of their work. They will also create a piece of artwork inspired by the artist.  

Week 3

This week we learned how to create a Wiki. I created a simple Wiki about cartooning for my potential art students. I understand how a wiki can be beneficial for organizing information and teaching a lesson I just don't know if I would use them. Maybe it would be a good assignment to have students add to the wiki their favorite cartoon characters. I love cartoons but I am not up to date on all the new shows. Kids could even post videos from Youtube of clips from their favorite shows. It would be great for students to compare and contrast their favorite shows and characters. Children could then design their own cartoon characters and a short 10 panel comic strip. We could scan the comic strips and character designs and post them on the wiki for friends and family to see. This would be a great way to get parents involved. Parents could post older cartoon characters and clips the children might not know. I feel this project would work well with a wiki.

Week 2

In looking for teacher websites I found two examples that I would like to share. I am going to be an art teacher and I think having a blog of student art work and a website detailing my expectations and schedule would be a great resource for students. I could also post art websites for students to access. The Clifton school district has an online art gallery of student work. The art teacher I work with in Morris Plains Borough School also has a nice simple website for students and their families. I feel making a website of student work would be exhausting. As nice as it would be to look at all the wonderful artwork online it would take a lot of time. At the minimum, I believe teachers should have an online presence telling the parents about themselves, about their program, the tasks each grade will accomplish  and their beliefs.